The SAFE Bet Act is still just a dream for Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY), but the ideas he put forth in the federal bill to severely curtail American sports betting continue to work their way down to the state level.
The latest example? A bill in New York that would limit bettors to $5,000 in bets at any one sportsbook over a 24-hour period, limit deposits to five a day, ban odds boosts and bonuses, ban language such as “bonus bet” or “no sweat,” limit advertisements to outside the 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. window and not during live sporting events, disallow ads that teach people how to place a bet, and ban the use of credit cards for deposits.
The bill, authored by Assemblyman Robert Carroll (D), clearly takes some of the ideas and language from Tonko’s federal bill outline.
Word for word from Tonko’s legislative outline:
- Prohibits sports betting broadcast advertising between 8am – 10pm local time.
- Prohibits sports betting advertising during live sporting events.
- Prohibits sports betting advertisements designed to induce gambling with “bonus,” “no sweat,” “bonus bets,” or odds boosts, or similar promotions.
- Prohibits sports betting advertising designed to induce use of gambling products by showing audience how to gamble or explaining how wagers work.
- Prohibits operators from accepting more than 5 deposits from a customer in a 24-hour period.
- Prohibits operators from accepting deposits via credit card.
Carroll’s bill:
- (P)rohibition on certain advertisement practices including odds boosts or similar offers, including advertising that contains the phrases “bonus”, “no sweat”, “bonus bet”, or any other similar term.
- (P)rohibit authorized sports bettors from placing more than five deposits in such bettor’s account during a twenty-four hour period.
- (P)rohibit authorized sports bettors from wagering more than five thousand dollars in a twenty-four hour period.
- (Operators shall not) include information about odds boosts or similar offers, including advertising that contains the phrase “bonus”, “no sweat”, “bonus bet”, or any other similar term; provide information on how to place a sports wager or how sports wagers work; occur between the hours of eight a.m. and ten p.m. local time; and occur during live sport events.
This bill was introduced Wednesday and referred to the state’s Racing and Wagering Committee.
Illinois, Washington, New Jersey in on the Act
This New York bill is merely the latest to take aspects of the SAFE Bet Act and implement them at the state level. Similar efforts are happening across the country:
In Illinois, state Sen. Bill Cunningham, a Republican and the Senate president pro tempore, introduced legislation in February that mirrors the SAFE Bet Act’s AI restrictions, prohibiting sportsbooks from using artificial intelligence to track wagers, target promotions to specific individuals, or create gambling products.
In Washington, Republican Congressman Michael Baumgartner introduced the PROTECT Act, which closely resembles Tonko’s proposal to ban proposition bets on college athletes nationwide.
New Jersey Assemblyman Brian Bergen, a Republican minority whip, proposed even stricter measures with a bill that would completely prohibit sports betting advertisements in the state, regardless of time.
The growing bipartisan support for these regulatory measures suggests potential challenges ahead for America’s legalized sportsbooks, despite the fact that introduced bills don’t necessarily become law.
